大笨（Big Ben）是一隻綿羊，今日被本地媒體暴光，定將轟動全球。它一身長毛重達28.9公斤，刷新了謝樂克（Shrek）在2004年創下的27公斤的世界紀錄，使新西蘭再次成為世界關注的焦點。

  大笨與它的三個同齡夥伴，出生當年即離家出走，躲避過了一年又一年的強迫捐獻。它們長期隱居於荒山野林，有天無法，逍遙自在。悠閒的生活，或許曾陶冶了情操，或許增添了雅興，或許．．．一切的一切，都融化在大自然里，既然無人問訊，也就無人得知。直到三天前，貪婪的農場主發現了它們的行蹤，用暴力把它們捉拿回剪羊毛房。它們精心蓄養了六年多的絨毛，被當眾強行剝光，一發不留。不僅生平第一受到侮辱與摧殘，它們也永遠失去了自由。從此，大老笨和它的夥伴們，只能在圈定的範圍內，吃喝拉撒，立行臥睡。未來的風風雨雨，不能再次散漫地經歷。也許，它們還會養兒育女，兒女們也學會出走．．．青春歲月，自由時光，已成過去。不管樂意與否，從此，大笨每年都得被迫捐獻一次自己的毛，直到有一天，貢獻出自己的皮肉和骨頭。

　　在欣賞李娜笑容的坦然和講話的質樸幽默之餘，我看到新聞上的大笨。由大笨，想起了許志永。大笨生來或許就不應該享有自由，然而它享受了。人，生來就該享有做人的自由和權力，但卻被剝奪。為了阻止他繼續幫助那些人要回做人的基本權力，他們把許志永投進了監獄。我默然無語。

七絕·大笨的詠嘆

半江紅　2014.1.27

芳草幽幽露水澆，六年蓄得此身毛。

從今不說山中事，雲也低沉路也遙。

附：本地新聞

Big Ben chimes in on Shrek's crown

Wild and woolly after six years

  Big Ben is bigger than Shrek - unofficially.

When Mike Lindsay first saw four merino sheep nestled in a corner of his 2500-hectare Twizel station he thought they looked like giant mushrooms.

"Because they carried so much weight, when they moved they almost seemed like ships bobbing in the ocean because you couldn't see their legs," he said.

They were recaptured on the slopes of Mt Ben at Omahau Hill Station after about six years of being separated from their flock.

The most impressive of the bunch was dubbed "Big Ben".

On Saturday, shearers set about seeing just how big he was by attempting to set the first Guinness World Record for the heaviest single fleece taken from a sheep.

Big Ben's fleece, shorn by former world champion shearer Tony Dobbs, took 25 minutes to take off.

"It was very slow going because of the sheer weight of wool that was pulling against his skin," Lindsay said.

"We had to have someone else hold the wool so it didn't rip the sheep's skin."

When the job was complete the fleece weighed in at 28.9 kilograms.

The fleece of Shrek, the merino who made international headlines when he was found in 2004 after avoiding being caught and shorn for six years, weighed in at 27kg.

However, this weight was never submitted to Guinness World Records. An average merino fleece weighs about 4.5kg.

There were celebrations yesterday as Big Ben's fleece was weighed.

The event was used as a fundraiser for a new Twizel medical centre. The fleece will be turned into a baby's shawl, which will then be auctioned to raise money for the centre.

"We are hoping that, once it's officially announced we have got a record, it might draw some attention and bring someone out of the woodwork to buy it [the fleece]," Lindsay said.

The shorn sheep were bright and happy, Lindsay said yesterday.

But it had been a wet morning in Twizel so they were being kept indoors and were also given coats to keep them warm after the shock of being shorn.